Effects of age on functional deactivation in the somatosensory system

Background and purpose: Tactile stimulation via peripheral electrical nerve stimulation results in a measurable activation of the somatosensory system in fMRI studies. In addition to positive BOLD signal changes in the contralateral primary sensory cortex (SI), transient negative BOLD responses (NBR) in SI ipsilateral to the stimulation site have recently been demonstrated. Those NBR – possibly indicating a deactivation of neural activity – were of particular interest in this study. The aim of this study was to analyse an effect of age on the negative BOLD response in the somatosensory system. Methods: In 14 you…